11. She Was Dumbfounded

11. She Was Dumbfounded
It hurts to be rejected by a Client who has already made a promise and an agreement. It's not about money, it's about dedication. The rejection from Mandy made Florence sad, but nothing more than a curiosity as to why she did it. It seemed strange, unreasonable, rushed, and just didn't feel right. 

Mandy took out her cell phone, which made Florence very nervous. Not once did she turn her face away from Mandy's movements. Until finally when her former prospective client showed her the article in question, without so much as a word, she stormed off. It was rude and disrespectful, she knew, but her common sense was overpowered by the curiosity that was already gnawing at her. 

Mandy could have been angry, but she said nothing, she let Florence read it. 

"What..." Florence froze, her lips twitching, her eyes increasingly focused, staring at what she was currently reading on Mandy's device. 

The more she scrolled down, the more her body burned and heated up. It was no wonder that Mandy hesitated and decided not to use her services, as the article was truly astounding. 

Florence was speechless, her confusion turning into endless shock. Everything now made sense, no wonder Mandy canceled their appointment. The article published in the tabloid magazine felt real and true. Even though she was horrified, Florence couldn't deny the truth contained therein. 

But wait, how did that happen? Who wrote it? Florence was silent for too long, preoccupied with her own train of thought, to the point where Mandy felt confused and cleared her throat softly, bringing Florence's focus back to her. 

"Are you alright?" 

Florence blinked. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just—" She shook her head in disappointment, her breathing heavy. "I didn't expect to get this. It really surprised me." 

Mandy didn't know how to reply. 

"After reading it, I no longer wonder why you canceled everything. You're being indecisive and that's okay." 

"Oh, Flo—"

"I didn't mean to trick you."

"You didn't." Mandy believed that, she did have doubts about Florence's work when she found out about the whole thing, but she didn't think it was to the extent that she thought Florence had deceived her.

"Yes, I'm single. It's ironic because my job is to find people matches and true love, but trust me, Mandy..." Florence looked deeply into her eyes. "Trust that I'm good at it. I'm good at my job. You need a testimonial? I can show you. You need a favorable review from someone who used my services? I can contact them. I can—"

"Flo, stop." 

Florence wouldn't stop. She went on and on. "But again, I can't force you. All the decisions are yours. I won't bother you." 

"You make me feel so guilty." 

"Don't say that." 

"Oh, how could I if you said that." 

"I don't blame you, okay?" 

Mandy merely continued to stare at Florence. Not knowing what to reply. There was a silence that crept in for a few moments, both silent and preoccupied with their own train of thought. 

Florence had one strong conjecture, which popped into her head in the moments she read the article related to her. Only one name managed to pierce her head. And she felt that the truth was absolute and indisputable. 

David. That's what she thought. He did it. There was no mistaking it. He had a business about newspapers and printing. And it must have something to do with the article Mandy read. 

Florence had no idea how David knew so much about her, what he wrote was so true and she shuddered to think how he knew that much information about her. 

David apparently meant what he said. Underestimating him is apparently not something Florence should do.

How the news he wrote got into Mandy's hands was something terrible. He seemed to know everything. 

Right now, Florence was only sure she was right. And she was afraid of what could happen in the future. 

Florence shuddered in horror. Her career could be ruined just because of David. He was the only reason that made sense, especially since she had recently met him and received threats. This was too coincidental to be considered an accident. She wasn't trying to be accusatory, it was just too convenient. 

And furious as she was, Florence didn't know what action she would take yet. Then, her focus returned to Mandy.

"Can I ask you?"

"Yeah?" 

"Where did you get that article?" Although she was sure she knew the answer, Florence wanted to know the answer from Mandy directly.

"My cousin."

"Your cousin?" Well, that was quite a surprise. Unexpected. 

"Yes, I told him that I—"

"Him?" That was even more surprising. Because Florence thought the cousin Mandy was talking about was a girl. 

"Hold on, why are you that surprised?" 

"Yeah, I thought the cousin you meant was a girl. I just didn't expect it." Florence said the reason honestly. "Okay, that's not important now, please go on."

"I told you about me wearing your services. Yeah, it wasn't really like that at first, it was just an accident." 

"Accident?" 

"Yeah, I mean it slipped out. I don't really get along with him, it's just that we were in a moment, I mean I was with him, and somehow I over shared, you know that kind of situation, right? You want to talk about anything, even about yourself and your secrets, just to keep the conversation going." 

"Yeah, I know." 

"That's exactly how I felt when my cousin and I sat together. I didn't get along with him very well, so it felt awkward if we both kepet quiet. Until I finally told him about everything, about me using your service and yeah, that was it." 

"And I'm sure you don't regret it at all." 

"I don't know." 

"Don't be embarrassed and feel bad for me, just tell me the truth." 

"I didn't say that." Mandy protested, shaking her head violently. 

Florence thought that Mandy just felt bad about telling the truth, but there was really no reason for it to happen since everything had already been revealed, what was there to cover up? 

"Okay, forget it, what happened after that? Your cousin showed you the article about it?" 

"Not right away. He showed it to me early this morning, a few hours before I met you. Believe me, it was strange telling him about this, it felt as if I had an embarrassing secret, but that's not the main point." 

Florence clearly understood what Mandy meant. She nodded in understanding. 

"What's your cousin's name?" Florence suddenly felt curious and needed to ask.

"David." 

Instantly, Florence stood up from her seat. She was dumbfounded.